Youth are the future of pan, and with this motivation Pan Trinbago, as part of the International Conference and Panorama started a week of events on August 3 with a youth empowerment programme.
Over 50 teen representatives drawn from steelbands spread across the country converged on the engineering auditorium at UWI for a forum to challenge them and their role in pan into the future. The interactive event featured talks, panel discussions, and video clips. Pan Trinbago president Keith Diaz challenged the group to step forward, to play an active role in pan; and step forward they did. The youth were not shy and participation was spirited.
Diaz recounted and described pan history and the struggles of pan players as well as opportunities presented by pan. Inspired by the event, the youth were eager to become involved and to assert leadership roles in their own steelbands and from there, move on to Pan Trinbago and the wider steelband community.
The youth empowerment forum at the International Conference and Panorama offered representatives a chance for their voice and perspective to be heard and acted upon. Engaged youth representatives peppered Diaz with questions and many expressed frustrations with the management of their bands. Concerns ranged from the lack of communications skills to the marginalisation of youth in band decision making.
Another discussion panel featured a spirited discussion of important (and always controversial) subject of Panorama judging. Three leading judges for Junior Panorama, Vanessa Headley (arranger for Golden Hands and soon to be judge at Notting Hill Panorama in England), Akua Leith (graduate student in pan at Northern Illinois), and Kareen Brown (captain of the National Steel Symphony Orchestra) addressed the youth and fielded questions regarding the difficulty of judging Panorama judge.
Writing clear, articulate, and useful comments is a more difficult task than one might assume and Headley stressed the importance of judges taking the time to listen to the calypsoes numerous times ahead of the competition in order to properly judge the arranger's skill. Headley also talked to the importance of "critiquing positively" to encourage bands.
The youth, too, participated in the discussion and frustrations were expressed regarding poor judging, compliments for a good introduction when the arrangement did not have an introduction. Other issues were raised such as the inclusion of subjective extra musical categories that judge the idea of the concept of Carnival spirit or whether "creating excitement" is a proper category. The topic at hand caused lively debate.
A panel discussion on the topics of Entrepreneurship, Scholarship and Training featured Barry Mannette, Junior Hutchenson, Marceline Peters and Leroy Wilson. The panellists discussed a variety of issues regarding pan and pan manufacturing. Wilson is the Managing Director of Pan 2000 and Beyond and talked about the importance of focusing on improving the sound of pan performance.
His abiding interest in improving pan performance by improving the sticks, such as creating a series of seven different sticks for tenor pan from plastic, wood or aluminium, was a point of major discussion. Hutchenson works in the manufacturing pan development program at UWI and promoted the program that sadly is unknown to many UWI music students. Marceline Peters from the Ministry of Education gave an overview of pan in the educational system and what opportunities are available for young pan players of high proficiency to become instructors in the system.
The youth of pan need only to look around and see that in most steelbands the average age of the pannists is under 30 but the median audience age is much older. As a result, attracting youths to pan events, proved a vital topic. By a show of hands, representatives acknowledged that if they are not performing, they do not come to pan events.
Discussions of marketing and retention ensured and the youth grappled with questions the likes of how does a youth steelband attract more young people? What type of marketing is most effective? Is social media outreach best? How does one create a youth-oriented party in the panyard? How can steelbands collaborate with rock bands? How can steelbands play more modern music that resonates with the youth? Discussions ensued but no easy solutions emerged. However, the need for such solutions was clear to all.
Paul Massey from the Ministry of Education and Aquill Arrindell from Pan Trinbago moderated most of the day's discussions and the youth were constantly challenged to think about their role in shaping the future of pan. Said Kenny Phillips, "What's next?" To this end, the youth delegates further discussed the importance of the academic side of pan and not just the social aspect.
The forum ended with a fabulous performance by Fusion Steel, a small pan ensemble from South. Fusion Steel was formed just five years ago, has a vocalist and a rapper, and is led by pan master Darren Sheppard performing on the PHI.
The band's repertoire is vast, ranging from calypso to rap to rock as well as soca creating an infectious and danceable sound likely to appeal to younger audiences.
Later during the course of the International Conference and Panorama proper, issues surrounding youth and pan were again a common focus of many presentations. The Music Literacy Trust panel included an impassioned presentation by Jenny Lee on the City Angels, the growing programme in southeast Port-of-Spain. Lee discussed the ability of the program to change the lives of both the children and the families participating in the program by enrolling in the classes that teach pan, traditional instruments, music theory, and life skills.
Trinidadian now living in Australia Denis Gonzalez inspired the conference attendees while describing excitement of primary school children in Sydney, Australia learning to play pan. Salah Wilson described his efforts with Salah's Steelpan Academy which operates outside the school system in Montreal to bring pan to youth.
Paul Massy and Josephine Torrel described the massive effort in recent years with the Pan in the Classroom programme to work toward getting more and more instruments in schools across T&T. Sat Sharma from UWI noted that the technology is helping his students learn pan and noted in an aside that one of his recent students was able to practice a pan piece on her iPad with a digital pan app for her exam.
Dr Anthony Hailey leads educational steelband programs in relation to his Mosaic Steel Orchestra in Virginia and offered evidence of his steelband programme making significant changes for the better in his students, the "The Positive Propensity of Pan." Hailey noted that the teenage years are periods of high stress and when youth are susceptible to forces good and bad. Pan is a proven vehicle to help shape youth by becoming part of a steel orchestra.
Through ensemble communication, building of memory, increasing a youth's ability to stay on task, deal with complex challenges, the youth can develop mental flexibility and coordination, increase self-esteem, and understand how to work together.
In his summary of the youth forum presented at the end of the International Conference and Panorama Pan Trinbago president Keith Diaz proclaimed, "Pan Trinbago is looking after the youth." A sentiment shared by Asia Richardson, a delegate selected to report on the youth perspective of attendees of the youth forum.
After reporting on the activities and take-aways of the day, Richardson issued a call to arms stating, "Don't forget that the youth have a voice that need to be heard!" Pepe Francis of Ebony Steelband of London later noted, "after seeing Ms Richardson on stage today, I know that is where the future lies!"